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SUMMARY: This is the best picture that Cassini's taken so far of Hyperion, one of Saturn's smaller moons (266 kilometers, 165 miles across ). The picture was taken on July 15, when Cassini was about 6.7 million km (4.1 million miles) away. Hyperion has an irregular shape, and it's known to tumble erratically as it orbits around Saturn. Cassini will get a much closer view when it does a flyby on September 26, 2005.
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I love seeing these pictures of seldom seen objects that will someday be places of interest to visit. Noting the small size and apparent roundness of Hyperion brings to my mind some questions.
1. How big does an object have to be to develop a round shape. If it is solid rock how can it have enough gravity at that size to produce roundness.
2. Maybe it is not realy round since the coment is made that it tumbles.
3. Tumble seems to indicate to me some kind of irregular movement. Does it not rotate in an even manner. Or does it rotate one way now and along another axis at another time. Tumbling like a rock rolling down hill is some kind of uneven movement that is changed from time to time. Like the rock rolling and hitting the ground and other objects on the ground.
4. Will Casini ever get closer to hyperion for better pictures? Is it a ball or just another potatoe shaped hunk of rock and ice.
Ray Bingham
Established Member
Just wondering how many Gap moons and shepherd moons are currently identify after Cassini enter Saturn's Ring system?
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